Desperate Desires by Terri Wolffe~~~Review

A Sweet and Spicy Novella

The cunningly audacious Lady Lucinda Davenport is by no means a conventional woman. Smart and fiercely determined, she’s more comfortable adding numbers than she’ll ever be socializing with highfalutin members of the ton. When desperate straits force her into action to save her home and lands, she finds herself faced with only one option. Summoning every ounce of her courage, she sets in motion a wild and raunchy scheme that would set the ton on fire if they ever caught wind of her actions.

Lucien Brandford, fourth Duke of Carlsborough, is a dangerous man. Wealthy beyond imagination and handsome to a fault, the Duke is sought after by nearly every woman of the ton. Single, widowed, or married, ladies vie for his attention with cutthroat precision. But the Duke has no tolerance for the machinations of his title and fortune-hungry peers. He seeks his pleasure from women who require no commitment.

That attitude ensnares the Duke in Lady Lucinda’s plan. Caught unawares, Lucien finds himself at the mercy of a bold and luscious woman whom he cannot decide if he wants to strangle or bed.

The sensual dance that follows between captor and captive as they engage in a volatile battle for control, culminates in a seismic eruption—both psychological and sensual. As tempers flare and sparks fly, an intense and erotic interlude of passion ensues.

The temperamental lovers soon discover what all the world knows: that in order to possess the love of a lifetime, they must submit to one another to conquer their own Desperate Desires.

Sensually spiced with a heavy dose of passion, this romantic bestseller comes complete with a memorable cast of characters. You won’t want to put this one down!

My Thoughts:

In my opinion "Sweet and Spicy" is a little misleading. Desperate Desires was definitely a whole lot more than "Spicy" and should have been labeled erotica. A lot of the "sweet" is lost amongst the sexual interactions and "talk dirty to me" going on. Ms. Wolffe, however did a wonderful job portraying the characters and writing an exciting erotic historical romance.  

You know from the blurb that Lucinda is in dire straits and is desperate to save her home and lands, but you are left wondering what the true predicament really is through out the first half of the book. It is made obvious from the beginning that she is not in danger of losing them because of financial losses. There are hints dropped here and there, and it becomes a little frustrating wondering why she would go to the extreme of abducting Lucien, IV Duke of Carlsborough. 

There is an instant pull between Lucinda and Lucien, a desire that Lucien is none too happy about. He would much rather strangle "Madame Dictator" than show any desire for her wayward actions. Once they are sequestered in Lucinda's room, they have a total romp fest, Lucien is obviously experiencing Stockholm syndrome, and fall in love. There are tender moments between the two that you get glimpses of in between their highly explosive love scenes. So as to not give too much of the plot away lets just say that Lucien has overstayed his welcome and is quickly removed back to London. 

I understand that this is a novella and therefore everything is going to happen on a faster scale than a novel, however I was not thrilled with how quickly the story ended. We go from the reuniting to the end in a matter of a turn of the page. I would have liked to have seen just how these two were able to come to an agreement with all parties involved... surely this could have been achieved within a few pages. On a more positive note I am pleased to see that the author gave our hero and heroine a HEA, even if it was done in a single paragraph.

I do recommend Desperate Desires to anyone that enjoys extremely hot books, and I do mean the caliber of books where you will need a fire extinguisher to put out the flames and lots of ice to cool down those burning cheeks!! After careful consideration  and lots of thought I am going to go with my original rating of 4 stars. It is not the book's fault that I was not expecting what I got in terms of heat level, and the story while a little far fetched was extremely enjoyable! 


Gorgeous Cover!!

The Wasteland Series/Anthology

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The Wanderer-by Crystal Jordan
This story opens up the reader’s eyes to a whole new world. Kadira and Ezra’s chemistry burn up the pages, not to mention what happens when they bring more people into their bed. The Wasteland comes alive in a wild post apocalyptic way that reveals a tribal community with technological know how and a lot of…um…interesting customs.
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The Whore-by Lilli Feisty
You may think the title says it all. And its true, no one does in your face gritty like our Feisty, but there is a lot of vulnerability, humor, and yes, man on man while a woman is watching love as well. Feisty takes us to the edges of city life. The darker edges. Shows us that there is more to this Wasteland than meets the eye. And she shows us pirates…I mean…pirates for heaven’s sake.
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The Breeder-by Eden Bradley
Nitara brings us into the heart of Kroy Wen, the sacred Temple. She shows us civilization-the fragile, barely hidden barbarity of it. And she shows us that when love is involved, acts of great courage are still possible, even in the Wasteland. (And yes, you heathens, she also shows us dirty nookie and threesomes and man on man love.)
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The Priestess-by RG Alexander
The final book gets to touch base with each of the worlds. Most closely intertwined with Eden Bradley’s Breeder, it starts in the Temple. But Xian, The High Priestess, comes into contact with pirates, thieves, and Wanderers. Hel, her Sun Guard, has a past with them as well. When Xian goes off to discover the truth about the world shes living in, why she doesn’t have all the answers as High Priestess, she takes Hel along and they discover the addictive taste of freedom.
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I finally got all four books and took the time to sit down and read each one back to back!! I have to say having only read two of the four authors I was pleasantly surprised to have loved all four stories. Yes you must read all four of them, I don't think that it is a  must to read them in order except for The Breeder and The Priestess...these two definitely play off of each other and you really need to read The Breeder before reading The Priestess. The words Steam Punk completely throw me for a loop and I have to say that I normally turn my nose up and walk away from a book with that label. And I almost did it with The Wasteland. But after spending so much time with these authors in their Yahoo Group and reading several excerpts I just couldn't pass  up on the opportunity to try something new.  This just goes to show that you really shouldn't judge a book by its labels! 

These four ladies did an awesome job of putting together a world where the caste systems...or a should say who falls into which caste...are determined by one woman, the High Priestess. Lets see how best to tell you about The Wasteland ...

***You definitely need to read all of the warnings on these books... OMG were they HOT (think the hottest pepper and multiply it by 10)***

Outside of the city living in the deserts and caves you have The Wanderers. Within this group you have several smaller groups or clans who battle each other, trade with each other, and twice a year put all differences aside to celebrate in the Spring and Fall Rites.

Kadira and Ezra heat the pages from the very start. The sexual tension electrifies you as soon as you start reading. These two have watched each other at all the Rites from afar for several years, this year however Ezra has his mind made up he will have Kadira no matter what the cost. Kadira is a shaman which means that she must remain untouched for several weeks during the Rites to perform the coming of age and bonding ceremonies. She is also a warrior who pushes herself to be better than everyone else. Her past demands it of her and she will not allow this chieftain to distract her from her duties. 

I was so wrapped up in this book I burned dinner... does that tell you something !! I loved how Kadira and Ezra allowed their past to dictate their lives until they came together and could no longer stick to their guns of never falling in love. Ezra's possessiveness or should we say protectiveness of Kadira was endearing and it made it even sweeter when he realized that he could share her without doing bodily harm to someone. Yes this story is jam packed with several sexual scenarios but the love story that builds and culminates was awesome!


Inside the city the women do not come and go as freely as they would with the clans. Women are revered and protected. They are not allowed to walk the streets of the city...it is not safe for them. There are three classes of women in the city... The Rose or the Whore, The Breeders and The Priestesses. 

In The Whore we meet Bryn, a Rose or a prostitute. She is unusual in that she does not enjoy her work. In the evenings she sneaks out in boys clothing to run to the docks. One night she is not so successful in going unnoticed and runs into three thugs that want her earbob. The only problem with just handing it over is that it is part of her disguise and hides the rose tattoo that symbolizes her station. If anyone finds out that she has left the safety of the house her punishment will be harsh. There won't be any debilitating isolation for such a defiance. Thankfully two extremely hot men come to her rescue. Bryn knows immediately that they are pirates and follows them listening to their conversation. Without thinking she gives herself a way out of prostitution but could possibly have created a much bigger problem for herself. 


The Breeder Nitara is having doubts about her upcoming sacrifice. She is dreaming about him instead of the babies that she will bring into the world to help repopulate the Earth, gifts for the Goddess. Akaash is not like other Wanderers that have been captured and brought to the Temple to be the Virgin Sacrifice. He is not as susceptible to the drugs used to keep the warriors immobilized in a constant state of arousal. Nitara and Akaash use her Taming Moon to become better acquainted, each becoming aware that the other is more than they seem. 


In The Priestess we see how the escape of a sacrifice and a Breeder effect the High Priestess. Her doubts about her world are only intensified after the escape. Needing to find answers she has her Sun Guard Hel accompany her on a journey that breaks every rule/law of the Temple.

All I can say is WoW!! This world is explicit and passion is expected. It is believed that the passions shared is a must in order to keep Man subdued. I loved this series and highly recommend it to any one and everyone that has no qualms about reading very sexually explicit stories. I am really building a love hate relationship with novellas right now. I thoroughly enjoyed these novellas. All four ladies did a wonderful job keeping the flow of the world and the stories intertwined in a way that stayed connected. ---Does that make sense?--- You can tell that they put in many painstaking hours in creating their own stories while staying true to the overall theme of the story. This is how it should be done!!! The Wasteland definitely earns a 5 star rating!!!

Full Exposure by Tracy Wolff

Closing herself off to a traumatic past, photographer Serena Macafee likes sex with no strings attached. No commitment. Just pure pleasure. Her new subject, sculptor Kevin Riley, is the perfect man to fulfill her hottest fantasies. Where better than the torrid wetlands of Baton Rouge where Riley works-and plays? But as their affair heats up, so do Serena’s intimate feelings for Kevin. And as her guard breaks down, her fears are aroused.

She’s opening herself up to emotions she never wanted, and making herself vulnerable to a past she thought she’d escaped. One that has followed her to the sweltering southern bayou, exposing her to the twisted fantasies of someone in the shadows, and to dangers beyond her control.


My Thoughts: 

You know me, I am a cover junkie... buying books just because of the cover. I had not heard of Tracy Wolff before stopping by Lea's blog last week and finding Tracy Wolff's awesome post on covers. She didn't talk a whole lot about Full Exposure in the post other than to mention the cover and let us know that she didn't have a whole lot to do with this cover. I guess I should really say that the blurb wasn't included. I went to Amazon.com to find out more and there wasn't a blurb there either, so I did what I should have done in the beginning... I checked out her website. I read only the blurb for Full Exposure, headed back over to Amazon and had to make a really hard choice. Order the print book with the awesome cover and wait 4 days for it to arrive, or order the Kindle version and start reading immediately. My need for instant gratification won out. I ordered the Kindle version and I am only kicking myself because I really wanted to see this cover and for $6.00 it could have been mine. I still may go back and buy it, because lets face it Amazon has a really good deal on it right now and I can purchase another book I want for another $6.00 but then I am going to want to add more books because these two books qualify for the super shipping savings. I'm off track. Full Exposure certainly is a good enough book to warrant me purchasing twice!!!

We have all read and loved the stories of a tortured hero, Full Exposure is the story of a tortured heroine. Sebrina has been through one of the most tragic, devastating, horrifying... there is just not a word that I can come up with to describe the events that took place in her young life without actually telling the heart wrenching story. Which I will not do, I really think that would be considered a spoiler!! Creating a mask to hide behind and a shell to live in she has learned to keep emotionally distant from everyone. She likes the "No Strings attached" concept in her relationships. When her agent sends her to the bayou to photograph Kevin Riley, a recluse and temperamental sculptor, she starts experiencing feelings that she has held in check for 10 years.

Kevin's got the body of a God and Sabrina is lusting after him at every turn. He however is showing no signs of going up in smoke, actually shows no interest in her at all. Kevin's control is slipping. He can't concentrate on his work, which could be very dangerous as he does play with fire. Then it happens, Sabrina is so caught up in the heat of her body that she doesn't realize Kevin has turned and now he sees just how not oblivious Sabrina is to him. She knows that getting involved with this artist will be a disaster for her. He will never let her keep this casual.

Full Exposure was smokin' hot! The Louisiana summer heat had nothing in comparison to the fire that Kevin and Sabrina put off. Ms. Wolff did a superb job creating a world that you could connect to and be a part of. I mean you could honestly feel the heat coming through the book. There is suspense as Sabrina's past creeps back up and she finds that she has a stalker who won't stop and threatens her very sanity. And I can't complain about the romance side of it either. Kevin pushes the boundaries that Sabrina set many years before, makes her open up and face those fears, and the whole time he is right there to sooth the bumps and bruises. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Full Exposure, had a very hard time putting it down. I will definitely be ordering the rest of Ms Wolff's books!!

Rating: 4.5